The new fee will be $39.50 a ton, up from the current level of $32. It’s the first increase since 1992, OConnell said in an email.

The increase is no surprise; OConnell has been warning for years that the cost to dump trash in Rhode Island would need to rise as the landfill fills up. The hike was approved a year after officials began burying trash in the last empty section of the landfill, which is expected to be used up by 2038.

“Significant upfront capital investment is now required to build the cell infrastructure over the next few years and that is what has triggered this first increase in 25 years,” OConnell said.

The increased cost for an average-sized municipality will be $55,000 in the 2017-18 budget year, he said, adding that communities can also consider other options to reduce costs, such as pay-as-you-throw rules or eliminating the contamination of recycled waste.

According to the agency, the new fee will still be below the actual cost of trash disposal, which OConnell pegged at $54 a ton. The agency’s fee for businesses is $65 a ton, which effectively subsidizes the municipal fee.

“It is also well below the market rate in Connecticut and Massachusetts which is between $65 and $80 per ton,” OConnell said.